Yoga on the Cheap: Maintaining Your Yoga Practice in Tough Econonmic Times

There's a lot of talk out there about yoga being a practice for the affluent. A month-long unlimited yoga membership to a studio will cost you at least $100. Mats can set you back $100, and yoga pants that make your butt look perky run $85 and up. And don't even think about attending a yoga conference unless you have at least $500 sitting in your rainy day fund.

Of course there are folks who practice yoga wherever they unfurl their $19 yoga mat. They don't have fancy yoga clothes or a studio membership, and yet they have a serious yoga practice that transforms and sustains them. They catch a workshop or class when they can and they read books about India rather than spending the money to travel there.

Which category do you fit into? Many folks are somewhere in between. Regardless of your budget, you can practice yoga. Don't let the media storm about the money spent on yoga scare you. You can practice yoga on any budget. Here are a few pointers:

• No, you don't have to buy the Mercedes Benz of yoga mats to practice yoga. Shop around on the internet for competitive pricing. There are plenty of solid yoga mats under $20. You can find low-priced yoga mats at MatsMatsMats and Yoga Accessories. 
• Build a library of yoga DVDs and save money on a yoga studio membership. You can find my yoga DVD recommendations here. 
• Search for a yoga studio that offers classes on a donation basis. In NY, Yoga to the People offers this option, making yoga affordable to those who are strapped for cash. There are plenty of online resources available for help finding a donation-only class. With a little hunting, you can find an affordable yoga class option. Search for special community classes (which are often free) or low cost classes being taught by teachers in training and/or new yoga teachers.

You can also go online and find some great classes that range from no cost to under $20. Here are some options:

• Yoga Today offers free yoga on a daily basis. The classes range in style from Anusara to Ashtanga to Kripalu and Kundalini and run just about an hour.
• BeYou.tv offers a wide array of yoga videos for download, with many of them costing under $10. If you're a fan of the DVDs produced by Pranamaya like I am, you'll love BeYou.tv, as they offer many of the Pranamaya productions for download.
• iHanuman offers some very cool yoga downloads that can't be found anywhere else, including Erich Shiffmann and Swami Satchidananda.
• You can get a free Kundalini yoga fix over at Kundalini Yoga with Nirvair Singh Khalsa. In addition to a quick Kundalini set, the site offers a variety of powerful meditations.
• Yoga Journal offers a podcast featuring 20-minute yoga practices (roughly) taught by Jason Crandell. Some are audio only while other downloads offer a video accompaniment. 
• Yoga Learning Center offers a variety of yoga practices for under $5.00. 
• Yogi Chocolate offers donation based downloads, so you only pay what you can afford. 
• I offer a gentle practice in the free ebook that is offered as a free gift for joining the Living Yoga community.
• 3 Weeks of Yoga, a multi-media course offered by International YogaYogalayam, is a great primer for anyone who is a yoga beginner or someone who wants to strengthen his/her existing practice. The course is offered on a donation basis, so again, you pay what you can.
• Kripalu offers some wonderful free downloads that are perfect for adding into your daily routine as a short yoga/meditation break. 

Of course there are other resources out there -- these are just a few to restore your faith in the fact that yoga doesn't have to cost a fortune. It doesn't have to cost an arm and a leg to stretch an arm and a leg.

These days I've met quite a few folks who have fallen and hard times and don't want to scarifice their yoga practice during a time when they need it the most (or folks that want to start a yoga practice because of financial stress). I try to work things out with students suffering from financial hardship, so don't forget to ask your teacher for a little help. You just might find that a request gives birth to a community class that you and others who are dealing with tough financial times can benefit from.

Namaste!

Comments

[Michelle]

Lots of studios will give you free classes in exchange for cleaning and helping out. I had lots of karma yogi's at my studio. Don't be too shy to ask!

[Shared Decision Making]

This is a really informative and comprehensive posting on different options of yoga classes at a reasonable rate. I am sure many people would find this really useful. :)

[Kristine Dumm]

I love this article. I think there is often a feeling to have a "real" yoga practice you need to have ALL the correct (often expensive) equipment. Honest practice is honest practice and it doesn't have to cost a fortune to achieve that.

[Pramod Kumar]

I think that most people who are just starting on Yoga probably need to attend a short course so they can understand how the asanas are performed but once they learn how to do the asanas safely I see no reason why they need to spend any more money to do Yoga. All you need is a mat which has some grip - it can be a clean sheet on a carpet. So best of luck!! :)

[roseanne]

This is a great list of resources, thank you!

[Santosh]

Being born and brought up in India , land of Yoga. I always amazed at how people on other part of country spend money on Yoga.

Yogi's , highest achievers in Yoga ,never taught yoga for any kind of monetary/material benefits and practitioners too never thought that it needs any money.

Actually if you are sincere in learning and approach a true yoga-teacher - you will learn without investing a penny , further for daily practice you don't need to invest a single penny other than your time.

[Hannah Elsebø]

Yoga Today has changed their web site a bit. At least it looks like they offer one free class per week but at least the $9.99 unlimited membership fee seems reasonable for most. Their download fees are not bad either. I mean it's insane to pay 20 bucks for a yoga dvd with bad music, setting and a routine so boring that a child could have put it together. I love Yoga Today, can ya tell lol. Great post and tips..

[Priya]

Thanks for this post. I too hope these times will teach people that yoga doesn't need to cost anything (in fact, it shouldn't). Yoga is not about the classes, DVDs, workshops or even books (even if these things are free). It's about your practice. The time and effort put into commiting to a daily and life long practice are much harder and more rewarding than the time and money put into all the commercialized yoga programs and products. I believe that an hour spent alone practicing asanas will provide far greater benefit than an hour in a class, regardless of the experience level. The concept of a "yoga class" is really an American thing developed to make money. Yoga is a life that can't be bought but must be built by the dweller herself.